Print

No Cook Sun Gold Tomato Pasta

A bowl of spaghetti with sun gold tomatoes and basil on a blue background.

5 from 2 reviews

This recipe for No-Cook Sun Gold Tomato Pasta takes just 6 simple ingredients and less than 20 minutes to make! 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups sun gold or other sweet cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated 
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more as needed
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 lb long pasta like spaghetti or linguine
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water up to a boil.
  2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and Pecorino Romano cheese to a large bowl.
  3. Use the back of a spoon to mash the tomatoes and release their juices, then mix everything together until it forms a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
  4. Season the boiling water with a heavy pinch of salt, then cook the pasta until al dente (follow package directions - they vary).
  5. Scoop out a few cups of pasta water, then drain the pasta and immediately transfer it to the bowl of tomatoes.
  6. Toss it around vigorously, adding a few tablespoons of pasta water to help loosen it up. If it seems too watery, add a bit more cheese to thicken.
  7. Add the basil and continue tossing for another minute until it smells fragrant, the pasta is well coated and the sauce has a nice consistency.
  8. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Use room temperature tomatoes. Refrigerating tomatoes affects their texture and flavor, and cold tomatoes will cool the pasta down and prevent it from creating a sauce. 
  • It's important to salt the cooking water for the pasta, but not too much or it could cause the sauce to become overly salty since it gets added to the pasta. A few big pinches will do. 
  • Because the sauce isn't cooked, it's important to toss and serve the pasta right away while it's still warm. 
  • Set a timer for your pasta 1 minute before the package directions say it will be done to avoid the noodles overcooking. When the timer goes off, test a noodle and drain as soon as it reaches the perfect al dente texture.

Nutrition

Keywords: easy, tomatoes, no cook sauce